Lyocell material for cigarette filter and method for manufacturing same

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a lyocell material for a cigarette filter and a method of manufacturing the same, in which, by setting the optimal total denier range of crimped lyocell tow, which may realize filter properties equivalent to cellulose acetate (CA) currently used as a cigarette filter, the optimal processability for manufacturing a cigarette filter may be secured, and due to the excellent biodegradability thereof, environmental pollution factors caused by conventional discarded cigarette butts may be reduced.

1 . A method of manufacturing a lyocell material for a cigarette filter, the method comprising:
 (S1) spinning a lyocell spinning dope comprising cellulose pulp and an N-methylmorpholine-N-oxide (NMMO) aqueous solution;   (S2) coagulating the lyocell spinning dope spun in the step (S1) to obtain lyocell multi-filaments;   (S3) water-washing the lyocel multifilaments obtained in the step (S2);   (S4) oil-treating the lyocell multi-filaments water-washed in the step (S3);   (S5) crimping the lyocell multifilaments oil-treated in the step (S4) to obtain a crimped tow; and   (S6) drying the crimped tow,   wherein the step (S5) is performed by crimping the lyocell multifilaments oil-treated in the step (S4) at the crimper draft ratio of 1.01 to 1.3 calculated by Equation 1 below, and   the crimped tow has a fineness range of 25000 to 45000 De:
   Crimper draft ratio= V 1/ V 0  [Equation 1]
 
   wherein in Equation 1, V0 is a speed immediately before feeding the oil-treated lyocell multi-filaments to a crimper M/C, and V1 is a roller rotation speed of the crimper M/C to provide crimps to the oil-treated lyocell multi-filaments.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the lyocell multi-filaments obtained in the step (S2) have a single fiber fineness of 2.0 to 2.8 denier. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the lyocell tow is formed to have a number of crimps of 25 to 50 per inch. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step (S5) is performed by using a stuffer box of the crimper M/C. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the stuffer box is controlled to satisfy conditions of a steam pressure of 0.1 to 3.0 kgf/cm 2 , a pressure of 1.5 to 4 kgf/cm 2  applied to a press roller of the crimper M/C, and a doctor blade pressure of 0.1 to 3.0 kgf/cm 2 . 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the drying of the crimped tow obtained in step (S6) is performed by using a continuous drying device at a temperature of 105 to 135° C. for 15 minutes to 45 minutes. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the coagulating in step (S2) is performed by supplying cooling air to the spinning dope at a temperature of 4 to 15° C. and at an airflow rate of 50 to 250 L/m 3 . 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the lyocell spinning dope of (S1) comprises 8 to 13 wt % of the cellulose pulp and 87 to 92 wt % of the N-methylmorpholine-N-oxide aqueous solution. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the cellulose pulp comprises 85 to 99 wt % of alpha-cellulose and has a degree of polymerization (DPw) of 600 to 1700. 
     
     
         10 . A lyocell material for a cigarette filter, comprising a crimped tow formed of lyocell multi-filaments spun from a lyocell spinning dope comprising cellulose pulp and an N-methylmorpholine-N-oxide (NMMO) aqueous solution,
 wherein the crimped tow has a fineness range of 25000 to 45000 De.   
     
     
         11 . The lyocell material for a cigarette filter of  claim 10 , wherein the crimped tow is formed to have a number of crimps of 25 to 50 per inch. 
     
     
         12 . The lyocell material for a cigarette filter of  claim 10 , wherein the lyocell spinning dope comprises 8 to 13 wt % of the cellulose pulp and 87 to 92 wt % of the N-methylmorpholine-N-oxide aqueous solution. 
     
     
         13 . The lyocell material for a cigarette filter of  claim 10 , wherein the cellulose pulp comprises 85 to 99 wt % of alpha-cellulose and has a degree of polymerization (DPw) of 600 to 1700. 
     
     
         14 . A cigarette filter comprising the lyocell material for a cigarette filter according to  claim 10 .